


he calls me baby, all smooth at the end

by peterspajamas



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: College, Coming Out, Cuddling, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Himbo Rhodey lowkey, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, MIT Era, Short One Shot, Teenager Tony Stark, Teenagers Tony and Rhodey, Young Love, i love them, i'm sorry!!! he's just so stupid and i love him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27185734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterspajamas/pseuds/peterspajamas
Summary: Tony said it ardently, stupidly, flushing hot. 'I think I love you.'It had been an accident.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 75





	he calls me baby, all smooth at the end

**Author's Note:**

> i hate the military so much. rhodey is happy in this! he is soft! I feel like pre-military Rhodey is just so different, I think he'd be more childish. pestering and silly and stuff! think the very OPPOSITE of someone who's manipulative. Just my personal opinion, though, I just... idk he's perfect. <3 Love on him in the comments. He definitely stands at odds with future Rhodey, he doesn't have anything drilled into him, he's not so cautious. just happy.
> 
> i based this fic off of the song Accidentally In Love from Shrek 2

'What is it.' 

Rhodey poked his belly, and Tony kicked him away. 'Nothing is going on. Stupid.' His eyes were giving him away, looking at the floor instead of Rhodey. 

'Don't call me stupid! What is it!' he said, jumping onto Tony's back. His breath caught as he lay there, with Rhodey's warm weight on top of him, teasing breath brushing against his hair. Tony pushed him off, and Rhodey went tumbling to the floor. 

Like a rocketship, Tony's heart dove up, turning into a fluttering butterfly. He pressed his face closer to the book he was reading- The Scarlet Letter- and held back a blush. 'Come on,' Rhodey whined, crawling back on the bed and looking at the book, his whole side pressed against Tony's, hips to cheek. 'What's the problem?'

He could barely breathe, like this, hearing both hearts beating together. 'It's nothing, you big platypus,' he grumbled, snatching the book and marking it with a ribbon. 

Rhodey frowned- face screwed up on one side and mouth quirked down, eyes big, warm, and worried- which just made Tony feel more fluttery. Flutterier. Move closer or farther away? He moved closer, biting his knuckle when Rhodey's hipbone was resting against his own. He couldn't stop a tiny, tiny smile from forming on his face. 'Wait! You look happy!' Rhodey cried. 'What is it?' he asked with narrowed eyes. 

Tony huffed out a breath, taking Rhodey's hands in his own, like big, delicate gears. 'Rhodey, it is a secret.' 

It was love. It was love. It was love. Rhodey was still holding onto his hands and it was making Tony flustered. Was it on purpose? His big smile, like a puppy dog? Tony sat, legs crossed, and met his eyes. 'Hmm.'

And he- and Rhodey crawled right into Tony's lap. Settled in, putting his face close to Tony's, their breath mingling. Tony could see the wrinkles around his eye from here, could see the gold irises that always sparkled in the sun, the long lashes sweeping down as he blinked. 'Eyes dilated-' he gently held Tony's wrist close- 'Pulse is fast.' 

He looked knowingly at Tony's face. 'What're you doing?' Tony muttered. 

Rhodey tilted his chin down, the way little kids did- unknowingly exaggerated, unknowingly cute- no, Tony couldn't _think that-_ 'And your palms are sweaty. I know what I learned in my Biology class.' Rhodey looked smug. 'You have a crush,' he announced. 

Come _on_. Tony was not that obvious. And Rhodey was not that oblivious. 'Shut up,' he muttered, trying to push the pile of Rhodey off of his lap. Futile. Rhodey didn't move a muscle unless he wanted to. Tony flopped down on the bed. 'No. Go away.' 

'Fine! I'll take a shower,' he said, poking Tony in the belly again. The look he got in return was unimpressed. 'I'll be back, though, and you'd better have an answer.' He wriggled off of Tony's lap, humming as he got his towel. 

The door slammed shut. And Tony groaned. 'I hate you,' he whispered under his breath, then louder, in a voice he knew his Rhodey would hear. 'I hate you!' 

'You're stupid!' a faint voice replied. 

Tony paced through the room, ruffling his hair and fixing it in the mirror every five seconds, twirling one of the soft strands around his finger and letting it bounce back to the curl. 'Argh.' Stupid Rhodey. Making everyone fall in love with him, there was really no escape, he couldn't hold it against Tony- he wouldn't do that anyway. He'd keep on sitting in Tony's lap, getting drunk and falling all over him. 

He would keep smiling his earth shattering smile; Tony couldn't help but feel so bright when he saw it. How was he going to lie his way out of this one? How was he going to ignore it? It was that struck by lightning, butterflies feeling, that chased after him and didn't let go. He was funny, and smart, and dumb looking...

Oh, who was Tony kidding? He was the prettiest boy Tony had ever seen. Rhodey was dark, like a summer's night, a rosy sun just visible over the horizon, filled with stars and lightning bugs. His hair was kind of soft and it felt good tucked into his shoulder when they were watching movies, every word drawled out of his stupid mouth was just like music, all his laughs and smiles fed Tony. He ate them up. Come on, there it was again, the fact that Rhodey could not and hopefully would not blame him when he found out. It was a ridiculous idea, to just expect Tony _not_ to fall in love with him. 

Fall in love with him. The words filled him with a fear, one that crept in with the thoughts of his dad, and so much melting hope. 'Tell me now!' Rhodey flung the door open, wet feet leaving marks on the floor. He was just wearing boxers. 'Who is it?'

'It's not, um, it's not something you would expect,' Tony said carefully. Rhodey put on a big T-shirt and pajama shorts that had been pants before the dorm turned off the A/C and they'd mutilated all their clothes so they didn't boil. 'You know.'

Rhodey nodded knowingly. Tony chewed on his lip, biting back a grin. 'I'll put on the music so no one hears.' A mixtape Tony gave him for his birthday was still in the cassette player. 

'I hate you.' Tony loved him. 

'Come on, tell me,' Rhodey said. Somehow, his smile was sad. 

He rolled his eyes, tugging them both onto the bed. Tony was struck by indecision. Truth or not? Rhodey was a snowglobe friend, they could shake everything up as much as they wanted and it would settle the same. But Tony also didn't want him to feel some sort of obligation. He wanted- he just wanted. So badly. He wanted to spit it out. 'You're going to feel weird,' he said, raising his eyebrows. 

'No I'm not. You're just being stupid,' Rhodey said stubbornly.

Tony raised his eyebrows. Stomach flipping, he leaned in, catching sight of the gold of Rhodey's eyes. 'I am pretty stupid.' Rhodey snorted, gently rubbing absent circles on Tony's forearm. 

'Come on. Who is it?' Tony wondered, for a second, what Rhodey thought of this Tony, this cagey, fretful one. If he realized what he did to Tony. 'Say it,' Rhodey urged quietly, lips soft and close to Tony's ear. 

Tony said it ardently, stupidly, flushing hot. 'I think I love you.' 

' _What_?'

They blinked at each other, and Tony glanced behind himself. The look on Rhodey's face- somehow, he felt that it couldn't be for him. 'Yeah. Yeah, Rhodey, I'm in love with you,' he said, scooting back, away from _cheek_ _to cheek_ , what was he _thinking_?

It had been an accident. He'd hold that truth until they day he died, he was thinking, before he was interrupted by a full bodied kiss, warmth and softness. His toes curled as he held on for dear life at the golden retriever Rhodey had seemed to turn into. His nails dug into Rhodey's back, so fiercely passionate. His mouth was glorious. 'What- what the fuck is this?' Tony asked, laughing in disbelief.

'I dunno. Keep kissing me,' Rhodey insisted, dopey grin on his face. 

'Stop smiling like that. You look stupid.'

'You love me,' he countered. 

Tony sputtered slightly and Rhodey's smile shined at him. 'Yeah, fine, maybe I do,' Tony replied. 

'I love you too.' Rhodey said it all out of the blue like that. Why? Tony wanted more fanfare, but then, he had confessed _his_ love like a twelve year old girl, whispering secrets in the dark. He had fallen in love on _accident_. 

**Author's Note:**

> comments make my day <3


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